UXIZANDRE gave AP McCoy a Cheltenham Festival leaving present to remember – as he led from the front to win the Ryanair Chase.

The 16-1 shot ran the field ragged in the Grade 1 £313,500 contest with some eye-catching jumping as he handed the 19-time Champion Jockey his 31st Festival success.

The legendary rider is competing for the final time at the National Hunt racing spectacular after announcing plans to retire at the end of the season.

He’d had to wait until the third day of the meeting but he was finally able to celebrate an emphatic victory, as Uxizandre, trained by Alan King, trounced Ma Filleule by five lengths.

The 40-year-old received a rousing reception from the grandstands and a packed winners’ enclosure and said: “I felt joy and happiness.

“I am not going to miss riding until the end of the season when I pack up. Cheltenham is all about winning, and while I came to his week with a few chances I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. You have to keep your head down and keep going.”

He added: “The thrill this horse gave me – I will miss riding horses like this that run away with you all the way and jump like stags. It has to happen at some point so it’s a bit sad but we will worry about it this time next year.”

Cole Harden (14-1) made every single yard to claim Ladbrokes World Hurdle glory.

Trainer Warren Greatrex and jockey Gavin Sheehan were celebrating their first Festival winners in the Grade 1 feature race after the six-year-old repelled all challengers – Saphir Du Rheu the closest and three-and-a-quarter lengths back.

A delighted Sheehan said: “It was amazing. That is what dreams are made of. It’s very special. This is definitely my dream come true. I had my head down going for home and I didn’t know where the good horses were but I wasn’t going to look round.”

Vautour (6-4 fav) was an outstanding winner of the JLT Novices’ Chase.

Giving trainer Willie Mullins his sixth victory of the Festival, the six-year-old produced a spectacular display of jumping and crushed runner-up Apache Stronghold by 15 lengths.

Last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner was arguably even more impressive this time around – producing gigantic leaps over his fences under jockey Ruby Wash, particularly at the last, and leaving the rest of the field for dead.

Mullins said: “I’ve always loved this horse, from the time he won here last year. I just couldn’t get him back (to that form) and I’ve had to work really hard for the past three weeks to get him back into that shape today.

“I was just hoping he would get over the last two. The race is over turning for home and it’s just a question of jumping, and he absolutely flew them”

Walsh, who collected his fifth winner of the week, added: “He’s the real deal – I may be wrong but you have to dream. I’ve always loved him and his pedigree would suggest he could get any trip.

“I stuck my neck out and said this horse is going chasing, so it feels good to have worked out so well.”